General Rules That Apply to All Draw Games

It is the player’s responsibility to check his or her ticket to make sure it represents the correct game, draw date, numbers requested and has a visible bar code or serial number.

Winning tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the last winning draw date on the ticket.

Purchased tickets are only valid for the dates shown on the ticket.

The ticket, not the playslip, is the only valid proof of your number selection, and it is the only valid receipt to claim a prize.

All tickets, transactions and winners are subject to the directives of the executive director of the Missouri Lottery, the rules and regulations of the Missouri Lottery and the Missouri Statutes, and tickets are only offered for sale in accordance with the same.

Upon purchasing a ticket, the player agrees to abide by the Missouri Statutes and all rules and regulations of the Missouri Lottery.

A ticket is a bearer instrument. It is recommended that the ticket be signed at the time of purchase.

The Missouri Lottery is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. Tickets are void and will not be paid if determined stolen, unissued, illegible, mutilated, altered in whole or part, misregistered, defective, incomplete, printed or produced in error, multiply-printed, or if the ticket fails any of the Missouri Lottery’s confidential validation tests. Liability for void tickets is limited to replacement of the ticket or refund of sales price.

Tickets may not be sold to or redeemed by minors under the age of 18.

The holder of a winning ticket may win in only one prize category per play board and shall be paid the prize in the highest category won.

Pick 4 Game Rules

To play Pick 4, a player must choose four numbers between 0 and 9. A player must then choose the type of play he or she wants. A player may select each set in one of three ways: by verbally communicating the numbers to the retailer; by completing a playslip or by requesting a “Quick Pick.” Plays can be made for 50 cents or $1 and up to 14 consecutive draws on a single playslip. Pick 4 is drawn twice daily, seven days a week at approximately 12:57 p.m and 8:59 p.m. each day. Depending on the wager type chosen, a player must match all four numbers in the Exact Order drawn or in Any Order drawn to win.

How to play Pick 4 using a playslip

The playslip has five play boards (“A” through “E”). You may play from one to five boards. Each board contains four columns of numbers from 0 through 9. Based on the play type, select one number from the appropriate columns, or mark the “Quick Pick” box.

Select the wager amount (50 cents or $1).

Select the play type (Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Front Three, Back Three, Front Pair, Middle Pair, Back Pair, Combo or 1-Off). If you make a mistake, mark the “VOID” box on that board and select your numbers on the next board.

To play your numbers for more than one drawing at a time, mark the appropriate box on the left side of the playslip under “MULTI DRAW.” This will play only your selections “A” through “E” for that number of draws. Pick 4 can be played for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 14 consecutive drawings.

Pick 4 can be played for the Midday drawing, Evening drawing or Both by selecting the appropriate box on the left side of the playslip.

Prize payouts for 50-cent plays will be half of the amount of a $1 play.

The Straight/Box play requires a $1 wager.

The cost for a Combo wager can be from $2 to $24 depending on the wager amount and numbers played.

Use only a blue or black pen or use a pencil for marking selections; red ink will not be accepted by the terminal.

How to play Pick 4 verbally

At the discretion of the retailer, Pick 4 may be played by making a verbal request for a ticket. The player must provide the clerk with the following information:

Two Missouri Lottery games - Pick 3 and Pick 4 - have liability limits, meaning players may be denied the purchase of numbers when a certain number of tickets with a particular combination have been sold. Liability limits have been placed on these games to keep the Lottery from selling more winning tickets than it can pay. The liability limit is $1.5 million for Pick 3 and $1.5 million for Pick 4. Setting liability limits is standard in the Lottery industry on games with fixed payouts.

On rare occasions, popular Pick 3 and Pick 4 numbers may "sell out" and cannot be purchased. Liability limits are reached when a large number of people have chosen a certain number combination, such as the Pick 4 combination 2-0-0-0, which was popular on Jan. 1, 2000, to mark the new millennium.

There is no need for liability limits on Lotto and Powerball numbers, since jackpots are pari-mutuel, meaning the jackpot prize is divided equally among all its winners.

The Missouri Lottery has an obligation to raise as much money for public education programs, while also ensuring that we have funds available to pay winners. To accomplish this, we must be able to limit our potential payout to an amount that we expect to reasonably pay based on the sales we generate for this game.

Selling Hours

All Draw Games are available for purchase from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Club Keno until 1:52 a.m.) seven days a week at any Draw Games retailer, except during Draw Breaks.

Draw Breaks

The process of selecting winning numbers for each game is referred to as a “Drawing” or “Draw.” A “Draw Break” is when sales are suspended for a particular game so that the wagers for that “Drawing” may be balanced and the winning numbers drawn. The draw breaks for each game are listed below:

DRAW BREAK

Pick 3, Pick 4

12:45 p.m. – 12:59 p.m. & 8:59 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. daily

Show Me Cash

8:59 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. daily

Lotto

8:59 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday

$250K Triple Play

8:59 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday

Powerball

8:59 p.m. – 10 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday

Mega Millions

8:59 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday

Lucky for Life

8:30 p.m. – 9:39 p.m. Monday and Thursday

Club Keno

Every 4 minutes starting at 5 a.m. each day

How to Check Your Numbers

Watch the televised drawing on your local Lottery station or check local newspapers or radio stations.

Check with your Lottery retailer for the winning numbers. Request a winning numbers report or check tickets at a Check-A-Ticket machine.

How to Claim Your Prize

Claim winning tickets up to and including $600 at any Draw Games retail location.

Claim winning tickets of more than $600 at Missouri Lottery redemption centers or by mailing in your ticket with a completed claim form. A claim form must accompany winning tickets of more than $600. A claim form is available at any Lottery retailer or here on our website.

Mailing Instructions

The claimant's name, address, telephone number and signature must be on the back of the ticket.

The Lottery suggests that the claimant makes and retains a photocopy of both the front and back of the ticket for their personal records.

If the prize is more than $600, a completed claim form, which is available from a Lottery retailer, at Lottery regional offices or through the Lottery’s Web site, must accompany the ticket. A copy of the completed claim form should be made and retained by the claimant.